31.1.12

From every shade of Wet n' Wild lipstick, to insert-able foam shoulder pads, and water bras, there's not a beauty product out there my three sisters and I haven't tried. We fell for the electric blue mascara, mile high bangs, and bad perms. My hair still hasn't recovered. Who remembers the "Mane and Tail" craze or the gallons of Rave 4 we went through?

We do.

Contempo portraits, Epilady, Girbaud jeans, Paul Mitchell, Units (remember those crazy knit clothes with the hole in the armpit?), 2000 calorie mascara, Madonna, Reebok's, Aqua Net, and banana clips. The 80's were unkind and just like our mothers told us we would, we regret it.

It's 20 years later and my sisters and I are still trying new stuff and sharing all our secrets. One of them passed on this first beauty tip during a camping trip years ago and I still say a silent thank you in my prayers each night.

#1. Dry Shampoo. I featured it in a {Friday's Find} last year, but it's definitely worth mentioning again.
For those of us who don't have time (or shall I say make time) to wash our hair every day, there's a simple solution. Shake the can, spray dry shampoo in your hair, tousle, and brush. Done. As I mentioned before, don't waste your money on expensive brands. This one works the best. End of conversation.

#2. Sunless tanning lotion. Some girls are born with brown skin, some can lay in the sun and get brown skin, and some of us have never had, nor will ever have brown skin. Don't worry, I've spent hours in the sun trying to get it anyway, and will pay for it later in life in the form of wrinkles and skin cancer.

Since I haven't lathered up in baby oil and climbed up on my best friend's roof in over 20 years, thank goodness for this.

Buy the dark shade, even if you're ghostly white. Trust me, it works the best. My cousin used to work at a spa that charged upwards of $100 for a one time application. If you need a little color on your skin, this product is worth every penny. I also mix in a dab with my daily moisturizer for some color on my face. My sisters and I buy the 32oz bottle at Amazon.com and it lasts well over a year.

#3. Shimmer brick. One winter morning I was watching Good Morning America when Bobbi Brown was talking about make up tips. Not the "Don't be Cruel" Bobby Brown, he's good for a tip if you want to get high. I'm talking about Oprah's famous make-up artist.

I heard about this product and literally went out and got it that day. It's a bit pricey at $40, but it lasts FOREVER. I'm only on my 2nd compact in 5 years. Applied with a large powder brush, dust it everywhere the sun might kiss your face, ie. cheek bones, forehead, nose, chin. It gives you a nice dewy glow and makes your skin look healthy and alive. I use the color bronze.

#4. AmLactin. I was out with the girls one night and my friend, Amanda, professed her undying love for this lotion. She picked it up at Costco for $18 and claimed it worked miracles on her rough, calloused heels. She said her feet were now as soft as butter, and her cuticles were every bit as tender as a new born babes. Although it was not in the most appealing packaging, nor did it smell like something off the shelf at Bath and Body Works, she was obsessed with it. The next time I went to Costco, I picked up a bottle.

#5. DIY manicure. In between throwing up and eating jalapeno flavored Cheetos (pregnant), I learned a thing or two in beauty school. Here are a few tips. Always file natural nails from the outside in. Don't saw them back and forth, it weakens the nails and makes them prone to chipping and breaking.

Before you polish, push back your cuticles with an orange wood stick and lightly buff your nails to remove any oils on the surface. Use a good bonding base coat, two coats of polish, and a top coat. Your polish will stay looking picture perfect for twice as long. I love the entire {OPI nail care} line.

Here's another tip. I wear rubber gloves when I do the dishes and scrub toilets and my polish doesn't chip for several days.

I'm dying to know your best beauty secrets. I'll send my new favorite OPI color to the one I like the most!

I make my own tooth paste powder. It whitens my teeth and leaves my breath fresh. I add essential oils and I know they are kicking germs butts. My children use the t.p.p. as well. BEST STUFF EVER! I'll never go back to store bought paste.

Rinse your hair with vinegar! I live out in the country and our well has super duper hard water. Like - the water has so much lime and calcium that my shower head clogs up every other month - hard water! Sure we could get a softener, but vinegar weighs sooo much less than those bags of salt. I use apple cider vinegar so the smell isn't as stong. After you shampoo, fill a cup 1/3 full of vinegar, top the rest off with water and pour over your hair. (I think you can add essential oils to improve the smell if you're into that sort of thing.) Rinse well and style your hair like normal. It will be softer, fuller, bouncier. My hair is curly and it is 10000x curlier after I do this! I try to do it once a week, but should really do it more than often.

Some super tips! thanks, especially for the tanning lotion and bronzer... We busy gals don't have timeto visit the tanning bed ( or worry about the affects of it) so this is great information.Nice to look like you have a little color in your skin.

I love using coconut oil or olive oil as a deep conditioner. Just leave it on your hair for about 10 minutes then shampoo off. It's great!Also, if you have broken eyeshadow or blush, mix it with vaseline/petroleum jelly and you now have lip gloss. Even if it's not broken, you can use it as lipstick by applying a clear base coat and then using a lip brush to apply the color eyeshadow to your lips that you desire. Eyeshadow can also be used as nail polish if you start with a clear nail polish, then dip it in the eyeshadow color you want (just make sure you don't plan to use the eyeshadow on your eyes anymore). I also like using eyeshadow and eyeliner, blush and to tint my mascara.

Mia!! Sorry for the long delay. The ingredients for the toothpaste powder are such: Aztec Indian clay powder (I found it at Whole foods), baking soda and salt. Then add essential oils ( I use OnGuard e.o. blend). I also recommend using OnGuard Whitening Toothpaste. I love both! Find me on Facebook and email me for the recipe!

I used my son's Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Lotion on my face in a pinch when I ran out of my normal face lotion. I love it!! I have sensitive, combo skin and have a hard time finding face cream that moisturizes but is still gentle. This lotion leaves my skin super soft with no irritation. Plus, since it is such a big tube compared to my more expensive cream I am saving a ton of money. Jamie Rowejamier76@gmail.com

Ha! I went to school with your younger sister too...the whole time I've been reading your blog, I've been trying to figure out if I knew you, turns out you look like your sister! I graduated from Highland in '95. I thought Krisha was in the same grade as me though. PS Dry Shampoo is this busy mom's BFF!

Hi! New here, but I just wanted to share my two favorite beauty tips. (And thanks for sharing all of yours!) I started using my baby's plain ol' Johnson & Johnson Head to Toe Baby Wash for my face and found that it's really similar to Clinique's face soap (their yellow one) - my face feels really soft afterwards. And it gets my face cleaner than regular soap (I tested it by wiping with rubbing alcohol afterwards - no residue after the J&J stuff.) I also really like using vitamin E with jojoba oil on my face as a moisturizer (like jomymother said). I originally bought it (at Sally's Beauty Supply) for my nails, but it works really well on my face too. I use it morning and night. It soaks in well and the bottle lasts a long time. I think mine is called Mango.

I use coconut oil in my hair before shampooing if I take a bath - I swear, that the longer I leave it in, the softer my hair feels after. I also use a dab of vaseline on my lashes and around my eyes at night. It keeps my lashes really soft and they look longer under mascara the next day. When the skin on my face looks a bit dry or tired, I rub a tiny bit of vaseline into my cheeks to make my skin seem brighter and healthier.

This is not a fancy product or anything, but my favorite thing to do for smooth legs is use conditioner as shaving cream on my legs. It gives a much smoother shave and makes your legs softer after, not to mention a yummy scent:). I just use a cheap Suave brand conditioner and my favorite scents are Pomegranate Splash and Tropical Coconut for when I am dreaming of a beach vacation :)azhills@gmail.comThanks for all of your fantastic secrets!

Thank you SO much for the tips - the first one I tried was the AmLactin lotion because I hate the callouses on my heels. I had high hopes after reading your post, and was thrilled with the results. Yay! I can't wait for spring so I can wear sandals! Next I'm trying the sunless tanning lotion you recommended..... Thanks again.